DIOCESE OF SAN FRANCISCO Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America 372 Santa Clara Avenue San Francisco, CA 94127 (415) 753-3075 FAX: (415) 753-1165 MEMORANDUM From: His Grace, Bishop Anthony To: The Reverend Clergy of the Holy Diocese of San Francisco Re: The situation in Estonia Date: February 26,1996 ================================================== It is my most sincere desire to do nothing which would cause a worsening of the situation of disunity which at present exists between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Patriarchate of Moscow. However, I have become aware that some of you may have received faxes or other documents from the Moscow Patriarchate, or their supporters, in which the situation in Estonia is described in a way which is not only very far from the whole truth, but which actually indicate that the Ecumenical Patriarch is engaged in behavior which is downright uncanonical and detrimental to the "good estate of the Holy Churches of God." To this end, I address this memorandum to you so that you can have a clearer picture of what is actually happening. The State of Estonia, one of the three, small Baltic States, has had a troubled history for most of its life. Too small to have much effect on the international front, yet too large to be ignored, her history is full of invasions and violence. In recent history, her subjugation by the Nazis, and then by the Soviet Russians, reads like a horror story. Enforced deportations and population resettlement, exile, executions, the outlawing of native culture and even language, all these things were commonplace in the late thirties and early forties. However, before all that, in the year 1923, the Orthodox Church of Estonia had been granted the status of "autonomy" by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. This occurred near the beginning of what Estonians regard as their "Golden Age." The Church continued in this way until the invasion of Estonia by the Soviet armies towards the end of the Second World War. At that time, the Estonian Orthodox Church was swallowed up, de facto, into the Russian Orthodox Church as a simple eparchy. In 1976, when the Soviet Russians still had a very strong hold on the power in Estonia, the Russian Orthodox Church applied to the Ecumenical Patriarchate to have the 1923 declaration of autonomy lifted. For the sake of political expediency this was done, although it must be noted that the original autonomy was not thereby made invalid; rather, this action was simply an expression that, due to political circumstances, the autonomy of the Orthodox Church of Estonia could not be enforced at that time. In 1991 Estonia, together with a number of other countries which had been swallowed by the Soviet Union, regained independence and freedom. Since that time there have been a number of requests by the people and the government of Estonia that the original declaration of autonomy be revitalized. For two years, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has attempted to consult with the Moscow Patriarchate regarding this problem. Moscow's response was inflexible during the whole period, and nothing positive was achieved. The Ecumenical Patriarchate decided to grant the Estonians what they requested, and late last week a Patriarchal Delegation went to Estonia to announce this action. His Eminence, Archbishop John of Karelia and All Finland has been charged with leading the Church as Locum Tenens until a native Estonian is elected as head of the Estonian Church. Apart from the Estonians who are Orthodox, there is a minority of Russian-speaking Orthodox in Estonia. The Ecumenical Patriarchate is planning to supply these people with a Russian-speaking bishop of the Estonian Orthodox Church. A major complication arises from the fact that His Holiness, Patriarch Alexei of Moscow and All Russia was born in Estonia, and had been Metropolitan of Tallinn for some time. When he was born, however, the Estonian Orthodox Church was under the spiritual jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. A clear reading of the circumstances indicates that the Ecumenical Patriarchate is simply restoring a degree of ecclesiastical independence to a group of people who had lost it though the force of arms against them. Even though Estonia is a small Nation State (about the size of New Hampshire and Vermont combined), and the Orthodox a small minority within the country, nevertheless, their right to a limited form of self-determination is being encouraged and supported by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the face of "might is right" tactics from other parts of the Orthodox Church. Obviously, the present situation is very distressful, and I would commend you all to pray especially for the Unity of the Church.